Bound: Ties That Cannot Be Broken
by daielight
Summary: AU. It's been three long years since Lucas proposed to Peyton and she turned him down. It's been two years and three months since Ella was born. Since then, Peyton has kept Ella a secret from Lucas, but now that everyone's back in Tree Hill... LP
1. Chapter 1

The earsplitting howls of a baby woke Peyton early Monday morning. She groaned and pulled the covers up over her head in a futile attempt to block out the baby's demanding screams. For a moment she found herself able to tune out the screeching and doze off, then she jerked up as an especially loud scream erupted from the baby in the cradle beside her.

"Please, please, please baby, stop crying. Let me sleep..." Peyton moaned into the pillow. The baby fell silent, and

Peyton froze, not wanting the baby to start crying again. She couldn't wait for Brooke to get back from her four-day

trip to a fashion show that her clothing line was being shown in. She'd left Friday morning, leaving Peyton all alone with

the baby, and was supposed to be coming back Monday afternoon.

Peyton glanced at the clock, wondering how many long, painful hours she had left with the baby before Brooke came home. The red, glowing letters on the alarm clock read 1:27 AM. Peyton blinked, and looked back at the clock, hoping the numbers would change... but they still glowed 1:27 AM. She let out a defeated groan.

It had only been 17 hours since Brooke had left Peyton alone at the two bedroom apartment with the one and a half month old baby. Peyton rolled over, trying to get a bit more comfortable on the bed without making too much noise. Unfortunately, when she rolled over, her back didn't land on the bed. Instead she landed with a dull thud on the hardwood floor. Emphasis on the /hard/. Peyton let fly a string of curses; she was tired and grumpy after only half a night.

She sat up slowly, curses still streaming from her mouth, and rubbed her back. It was about then that she remembered the baby. Peyton froze, hoping against hope that baby was in a forgiving mood... or a really, really deep sleep.

Unfortunately, the baby was in neither. Peyton watched from her low vantage point as the baby scrunched up her tiny little face and opened her mouth as wide as it would go, then started to scream again.

"Hush Sweetie, hush. I'm here OK? Just... Just please don't cry again baby. Please don't cry," Peyton pleaded, as she got up off the ground and leaned down to pick up baby. Her voice soft and shaky; she was too tired to feel anything

besides defeat.

The baby quieted down a moment after Peyton had lifted her out of the cradle, and lay quiet and peaceful in Peyton's arms. Peyton sank down on the bed, thankful that the screaming had finally stopped. She stroked the baby's cheek, watching as her eyes closed slowly and her breathing calmed. /Thank god/ thought Peyton as she lay back against the

pillows, the baby curled up peacefully on her stomach. She let her eyes close slowly, the gentle warmth of the baby reassuring in the darkness.

Peyton was awoken by the sound of the telephone ringing beside her ear. She opened her eyes slowly, and reach out with one hand to pick the phone up off of the bedside table.

"Hello?" Peyton said groggily into the speaker.

"Peyton Sawyer! What have you been doing for the last five hours? It's 1:10 and I've phoned you about eighteen times!" the voice on the other end sounded frantic and irritated.

"Brooke?" Peyton opened her eyes wider and looked around. Sure enough, the clock read 1:10.

"No, Peyton, it's the cookie monster. Of course it's Brooke! Who else calls eighteen times in five hours?" Brooke's tone was now somewhere in between pure annoyance and extremely frantic. "So where have you been?"

Peyton glanced down at her belly. The baby was still there, staring up at her with large blue-green eyes. "I guess I've been sleeping..." she trailed off, not quite believing what she was saying. The baby gurgled and blinked up at Peyton who reached down and brushed her hand over the baby's cheek.

"Well you should have been up hours ago. Baby needs you to look after her Peyt, and I needed you to find the phone number of an old friend of mine I _was_ going to visit today. But it's too late now!" Brooke paused to catch her breath.

Peyton sat up, gently shifting the baby onto her lap. "Well I'm sorry for sleeping Brooke. Maybe you should have taken baby with you, then I wouldn't have had to sleep all morning instead of all night!" snapped Peyton. She was still tiered, even after sleeping on and off for 12 hours.

"Ok little miss cranky. I'm terribly sorry for leaving baby with you. Will you ever forgive me?" Brooke's tone was heavily laced with sarcasm.

Peyton opened her mouth, ready to spout out a snappy retort, but the baby was one step ahead of her: a loud cry made it out of baby's mouth before Peyton had even thought of something to say.

"I've got to go now Brooke, the baby started crying again," grumbled Peyton before pushing the off button and slamming the phone back down on the bedside table.

"Hush sweetie. Brooke's off the phone, I'm all yours now," soothed Peyton, rocking her back and forth slowly. The baby quieted slightly, but she was still rather loud. Peyton shifted the baby in her arms and got up slowly from the bed, trying her best to keep her movements smooth, thus keeping the baby happy. The baby didn't stop though, so Peyton carried her over to the changing table and lay her down. She bent down, checking the rack below the baby for the diapers, wipes and other diaper changing necessities while the baby howled away above her. When she'd gotten together everything she was going to need, Peyton began the not-so-pleasant task of changing the baby's diaper.

Shortly after she'd finished, the baby quieted down considerably. Peyton smiled, lifted the baby into her arms and carried her into the living room where she sat down and lay the baby on the couch beside her. Peyton then leaned forward and shuffled around for the TV remote, wondering briefly how the coffee table always managed to get soo messy in such a short period of time. When the remote finally resurfaced, Peyton relaxed back into the couch and flicked to Much Music, her hand resting beside the baby.

It's amazing how very quickly your confidence can vanish. Since two o'clock this afternoon, Peyton had actually started to feel like she'd figured out how to look after a baby. Now though...

Peyton rocked the baby back and forth, trying to think of something that she hadn't yet done that would make the baby so happy that she would stop crying. Nothing was coming to mind, and she couldn't bare to put the baby down long enough to call Brooke. She was afraid of letting go of the baby with one arm incase it wiggled free and fell onto the floor. She was just so... afraid.

"To make a mountain of your life

Is just a choice

But I never learned enough

To listen to the voice

That said

Always love, hate will get you every time

Always love, don't wait til the finish line," Peyton was interrupted by the sharp ringing of the phone. She paused for a moment, then made her ways quickly into the bedroom. once inside she lay that baby down on the bed, picked up the phone hid in the closet where the baby's cries where slightly muffled.

Once seated, she quickly pressed the talk button and lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Peyton?"

"Haley?" Peyton tried her best to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but wasn't 100 successful.

"Yeah," confirmed Haley, "Why? Where you expecting somebody else?"

"Yeah, I was hoping it was Brooke."

"Ahh. So then, I'm guessing Brooke's not home," Haley confirmed. "And what's with all the screaming in the background?"

"I'm babysitting," it was a lie, but not a noticeable one. It was a lie Peyton was starting to believe herself, which made it so much easier to say. "Brooke's gone to a fashion show. She gets back Monday afternoon," finished Peyton matter-of-factly.

"Ok, well I'll call when she gets back. I'll let you get back to babysitting now," Haley finished. "Bye Peyton."

"Bye." Peyton clicked the phone off and leaned against the closet wall. She closed her eyes and rested for a moment, trying to block out the desperate howls of the baby.

Just as she was about to get up, the phone started ringing again. "Hello," Peyton answered for the second time in minutes.

"Hey Peyt, it's Brooke. Just, checkin in!" Brooke's voice was perky and light, the complete opposite of the last time she'd called.

"Thank god," sighed Peyton.

"Huh? What's happening Peyton? What's wrong?" Brooke now sounded worried.

"Nothing. Nothing wrong. Everything's OK," Peyton lied, trying to stop herself from bursting into tears.

"It doesn't sound like everything's ok over there. What's the matter?"

"She won't stop crying. I tried everything, but she just screams louder and louder," replied Peyton quietly. It felt like if she spoke louder she'd burst.

"It's Ok Petyon. Did you check her diaper?"

"Uh-huh."

"She tired?"

"She won't sleep. She just screams when I put her down."

"Did you feed her?" Brooke asked slowly, as if suspecting the answer.

"No... The bottles are all empty," Peyton's voice was thick with sorrow.

"Then refill them Peyton," Brooke replied softly.

"I can't find the damn pump," whispered Peyton, her vision wavering from all the water building up in her eyes.

"Peyton-," Brooke paused, then started again. "Peyton, you're her mom. You can feed her without a bottle." Brooke took a breath, "but that's not it, is it? That's not your real problem."

Peyton sat still for a moment, not wanting to admit to herself that Brooke was right. Then she shook her head, slowly, once to the right and once to the left.

"Peyt?"

"No," replied Peyton, her voice hoarse and shaky. "It's not my real problem."

"Then what is?" asked Brooke, her tone light and soothing.

"I'm not... I-" Peyton stopped, then restarted, "I don't... know."

"You do know," pushed Brooke, "You do know. You just don't want to face it."

"No, I don't."

"You don't what?"

"I don't want to face it. I don't want to remember it. I don't want to think about Lucas and I don't want to-" she stopped and took a deep breath, hoping that she could wait out the tears long enough to finish the sentence. "I can't remember it because it hurts too much," with the final word, her defenses collapsed and she began sobbing.

"Hush sweetie. Hush, it's Ok. Don't cry Peyton."

"And if... If I nurse her... She'll really be mine. I wont be able to hide it from myself anymore. I'll be stuck..." she trailed off, tears running down her face in drunken lines.

"Peyton Sawyer, I've been looking after your daughter every day since she was born. You have to step in soon or it'll be too late, for both of you." She stopped, aware that the next sentence wasn't one that would be greeted with happiness. "What happened Peyt? What happened wit you and Lucas?"

Peyton took a deep breath. "He proposed to me... and... I told him I to wait but he took it as no... He was so hurt, but we ended up sleeping together and... he was gone in the morning. Then, when I found out I was pregnant I couldn't not go through with it. I wanted... I wanted a part of Lucas that would never leave me. Then when she was born it just brought everything back... and I couldn't handle it. I started blaming her for everything... and then denied that she was even mine..." Peyton's eyes were drier now, but now they were red and puffy.

"Well Peyt you can't keep doing that. You can't blame her for the choices that you and Lucas made, it isn't fair to her," Brooke stopped for a moment and Peyton could hear her talking to someone ion the other end of the line. "Listen Peyt, I've got to go now, we'll carry on the discussion when I get back Ok?"

"Yeah, thanks for helping me Brooke," Peyton got up and pushed open the closet door.

"No problem. Just, could you do us all one favour?"

"Sure, what is it?" asked Peyton as she walked over to the screaming baby and stroked her cheek.

"Give your daughter a name. 'Baby' is getting old," Brooke finished.

"OK, I'll try. See you soon Brooke."

"Yep! Bye P. Sawyer! Say hi to the screaming baby you've got over there!" and with that, Brooke hung up.

Peyton picked up the howling baby, cradling her close and tugged at her shirt.

The moment the baby started nursing she fell silent. Peyton just sat there, recalling her conversation with Brooke. It was kind of refreshing, not having to carry the burden on her own anymore. Now, with Brooke knowing, it was easier not to blame the baby. She looked down at the now peaceful baby. Instead of seeing her mistakes as she had for the last month and a half, Peyton now saw something beautiful; a great accomplishment, not a failure on her part. The baby stopped nursing for a moment and looked up at her, a smile spreading across her tiny face. And it was then, after months of depression, that Peyton's heart finally stopped hurting, and she smiled back.

The bright glow of the computer screen illuminated Peyton's face and threw the rest of the room into shadow's. She scanned the screen, directing the mouse over the occasional word, then clicked next. She repeated this procedure, sometimes scribbling down words, other times crossing things out until the baby started to cry. When this happened Peyton would get up to feed or change her, whichever was called for, then go back and start reading again.

She'd found out over the last two nights since her conversation with Brooke that the baby loved it when Peyton turned her music up loud. Her favorite song seemed to be 'Crash and Burn' by Savage Garden, and would usually fall asleep or lay quietly while it was playing. That is, unless she was hungry or needed her diaper changed... or just seeking attention.

Peyton paused in her routine for a moment, then glanced over at her baby. She looked back at the screen and hovered the cursor over the word.

"Ella," she said softly, testing the name on her tongue.

The baby opened her eyes and made a soft cooing sound. Peyton smiled.

"Ella it is," Peyton stated, going over to pick her daughter up. "How's it feel to have a name sweetie? A very nice name too. Auntie Brooke'll be really happy to know that I've finally found you a name."

Ella smiled up at her.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank-You so much for all the positive feedback

**Thank-You so much for all the positive feedback! Reviews were greatly appreciated! I'd like to also thank my Beta **_**emotionalxchamp, **_**without whom I wouldn't have nearly as much motivation! See you all next chapter (I hope….) **

Introduction:

Brooke left for a year to develop her Clothes over Bros clothing line. Like in the show it is a now a multi-million dollar company and she is famous.

Peyton and Ella have been living on their own and forming a quite close family. Peyton is trying to make herself believe that she is happy when she knows that she's missing something.

Ella LOVES to sing the songs that her mom listens to, instead of the normal toddler songs. Ella means 'Fairy'

Lucas Scott is unaware that he has a daughter.

Two Years Later:

"I'm back!" called Peyton from the front entrance of the apartment, two large shopping bags clutched in her arms.  
Brooke opened her eyes and sat up groggily. She appeared to have fallen asleep on the soft carpet of the living room floor. Ella was sleeping in her mini bed, which had been placed in the living room so that she 'could have her own space'. That didn't mean that she slept there, quite the contrary. She always spent the first part of the night in her own bed, but about five to ten minutes in, she would go to either Brooke or Peyton's room and spend the rest of her night safe from all the horrors of being alone.

"Hey Peyton," she greeted, her voice rough.

Ella opened her eyes. "Mommy!" she chirped as she got out of bed and ran at Peyton.

"Hey baby!" exclaimed Peyton as she placed the shopping bags on the ground and knelt down to hug Ella. In a slightly more formal, but no less friendly voice, she added, "How are you Brooke?"

"Ok, Ok," Brooke stood up and blinked, trying to get the world to come back into focus.

"Long night?" asked Peyton.

"Yeah... Ella wouldn't let me go sleep in my own room. I had to stay in here with her..." Brooke walked over. "So how was your overnight job seeking adventure?"

"Truthfully... I was a very large failure," groaned Peyton as she straightened up and lifted Ella into her arms.  
"Well, I did a little bit of work... and I bought a house in Tree Hill. We can go home Peyt!" Brooke exclaimed, expecting her best friend to appear happy. Instead, Peyton's face fell and she froze.

"Or not..." Brooke trailed off.

"No, I just. I need to think about it for awhile," Peyton put Ella back on the ground as she spoke. Then she turned and walked back out of the apartment.

"Mommy?" called Ella, standing where Peyton had put her and staring after her. Her blue-green eyes were full of confusion, her blonde hair sticking up at strange angles.

"Mommy just needs a bit of time..." Brooke said softly as she lifted Ella up and carried her back to the couch. "You want to watch some TV?"

Ella nodded excitedly and snuggled up next to Brooke, as if seeking comfort. Brooke stroked her hair and flicked to the kids station.

"Why did mommy get sad when you said that she could go home?" Ella voice was soft and unsure.

"Because, Fairy girl, she thinks she doesn't want to go back," Brooke replied, pulling Ella in closer. "She'll come around though. I know she will."

"I just want mommy to be happy," stated Ella.

Brooke smiled, "Well that makes two of us," she replied.

Ella held up two fingers, "Two of us!"

Brooke laughed.

Peyton sat in the restaurant booth, waiting for Brooke and Ella to arrive for dinner. She'd spent the whole day thinking about Brooke's news. It was strange to think about moving back to Tree Hill with Ella, seeing Lucas. Explaining Ella to him... Peyton stopped thinking about it a focused on a picture of a small girl sitting astride a tall, majestic horse and tried to force everything else out of her head.

"Mom!"

Peyton glanced around, searching for the owner of the voice. "Ella!" she exclaimed when her eyes found the wriggling form of her daughter. Peyton stood up and took Ella from Brooke, giving Brooke a chance to sit down.

"What do you feel like eating sweetie?" Peyton asked Ella after they had all settled. Ella had been given a highchair by one of the waiters.

"Marmellow pie," replied Ella, staring out the window at an electric blue car.

Peyton raised her eyebrows. "You cannot have Marshmallow Pie for dinner Ella. How about... chicken nuggets?"

Ella looked at her mom, "No like chicken. I want salad."

"Fine, get salad. But you have to eat all of it," Peyton bargained.

Ella nodded her reply and looked back out the window at the blue car.

Peyton searched through the menu, and thought about her decision on moving back to Tree Hill. It had taken her hours to make a decision, so she'd ended up spending most of her day in the park. It had rained for a few minutes: big, heavy drops that had soaked through her sweater and forced her body temperature to lower considerably. At that point she had decided to go home and change. It was on her way home that she decided to go back to Tree Hill.

The waiter came then, forcing Peyton back to reality, and asking for their orders. Peyton went first, ordering for both herself and Ella, and Brooke second. When the waiter had left, Peyton decided to inform Brooke of her decision.

"So..." Peyton started, "I think it'd be good if Ella and I came to Tree Hill with you."

Brooke nodded. "I'm glad you decided to come."

"I think I am too."

Peyton watched Ella and Brooke run around the back yard of their new house. They'd finally finished unpacking, and were now relaxing in the backyard. Peyton closed her eyes, letting the evening sun warm her eyelids, and pressed her back against the tree. She listened to Brooke and Ella laugh as they played a rather loud game of tag, smiling as she listened to them.

Peyton was just beginning to fall asleep when she heard the side gate open. Instantly, she felt apprehensive. Not many people new that they had moved back to Tree Hill yet, and of the people who did know... Peyton wasn't eager to introduce them to Ella. She started to open her eyes, but before she could, the person spoke.  
"Hey Brooke."

Peyton didn't need Brooke's response to know who had just spoken.

"Hello Lucas," Brooke answered slowly.

Peyton opened her eyes and saw that Ella was hiding behind Brooke's legs. 'Thank god she's shy...' she thought. She watched as Lucas noticed her, his face not showing anything. Peyton smiled and got up.

"Hi Luke," she smiled and walked over to stand beside Brooke.

"Hi Peyt," he replied.

"Well, I've got to go inside," Peyton excused herself and picked up Ella, walking swiftly back towards the house. She could feel Lucas' eyes following her, so she turned to wave at him. He returned the gesture, and focused on Brooke again.  
Peyton closed the door quickly behind her and then made her way upstairs to Ella's room.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3:

**CHAPTER 3:**

**1, 2, 3 TRIC!**

**1: LUCAS**

The box landed with a dull thud on the dark wood of Lucas' bedroom, spilling its contents across the floor. The bedroom was placed in the same house he had grown up in, which he now lived in with his girlfriend of over a year. It surprised many of his childhood friends and those of his teenaged years when he would first have to explain to them that it was not, in fact, Peyton Sawyer that was now the 'love of his life'.

Strangely, it seemed to be his mother who had disregarded the idea of Lucas and Lindsey together the most. This always seemed to lurk underneath whatever she said, and intertwine whatever she said.

So when Lucas leaned down and saw that the boxes innards seemed to be made up of a collection of pictures that spanned his high school years and featured him and his two high school loves, he immediately guessed that it had been placed there by his mother. Though there were pictures featuring both Brooke and Peyton, it seemed that the camera had revolved around Peyton for the most part.

As Lucas started to clean up the photos, one of them caught his eye. He reached down and lifted it off the ground carefully. The eyes of the subject seemed to hold his, and he found himself remembering the events that the evening had held…

**Earlier that Evening:**

Lucas sat with one hand on the steering wheel and one resting on Lindsay's knee. He drove just under the speed limit, in no particular hurry and enjoying every moment of his time with Lindsay.

As the pulled up to TRIC, Lucas noticed Lindsay seemed slightly uncomfortable. He hadn't taken her out for the night since Peyton and Brooke had arrived the previous week. Their conversations had still been animated, but Lindsay seemed slightly apprehensive about the idea of leaving the house. Lucas sighed, women would always confuse him.

Once inside he led Lindsay to the bar where the took a seat and began a conversation that transformed along with the music playing; it's tone and subject morphing along with the music. After they had spoken for enough time to feel that their vocal cords had earned a rest, they sat in silence, comforted by each other's presence.

Lucas looked around, taking in the scene of the club that he had spent many hours at with his friends and loves. This place held many memories for all of his friends. The stage was the one where Haley first sang for an audience, setting forth a string of events that, in turn, broke apart, then rebuilt and strengthened the relationship between Nathan and Haley.

His musings were interrupted by the glint of light off the back a familiar head.

"I'll be back in a moment," Lucas explained to Lindsey in reply to her questioning look. She nodded in reply and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled, then quickly made his way onto the dance floor where he dodged around many dancing figures before reaching his destination: standing before him was Brooke Davis.

**2: BROOKE**

Brooke flipped the page of Ella's storybook, reading the words but not really paying attention to what she was reading. Though she was putting every ounce of her energy into trying to sound like everything was ok… it was proving harder than she could have ever imagined.

"Brooke, where's mommy?" asked Ella, who had obviously noticed Brooke's unease.

"I'm not sure baby… but she'll be home soon, Ok?" Brooke replied, closing the book. "Do you want to watch a movie while we wait?"

Ella nodded and let Brooke lift her off the bed and carry her downstairs to the living room where the 62" flat screen TV was located. Brooke sat Ella down on the couch, then made her way over to the shelf where Ella's DVD's were kept.

"What do you want to watch Fairy?" Brooke used Ella's nickname in an attempt to lighten the mood of the situation.

"Sleeping Beauty," she replied quietly. Brooke nodded and slid the movie of it's shelf, flicking the TV on and placing the DVD in the tray. It was then that the phone rang.

Relieved, Brooke leapt up and lifted it off the table, pressing the talk button as quickly as she could. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Brooke Davis?" the voice on the other end inquired in the type of voice that seems to be frequently used by people delivering the worst possible news.

"Yes." Brooke's voice shook.

**Earlier that Evening:**

"Brooke!"

Brooke spun quickly around to find herself face­-to-face with Lucas Scott.

"Luke!" she exclaimed and extended her arms to hug him. He returned the embrace briefly before pulling back. "How've you been over the last few days?" She asked breezily as they made their way over to the side of the dance floor where it was less busy.

"Good," replied Lucas as the leaned against the wall. "Everything's been going really well. How've you been?"

Brooke made a sort of humming noise, "It's been… Ok. I've been great and Ella loves it here, but Peyt…" Brooke watched as Lucas shifted slightly, registering that the subject might be on that made him uncomfortable. But he needs to hear this, she thought before carrying on. "But really, what do you expect? She has to constantly be reminded of all the things you've done together wherever she goes!"

Lucas sighed, "It's not my fault she said no to my proposal." He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, his gaze fixing on Brooke. "And who's Ella?" he asked as if this part of the conversation was much more important than anything else that had been said.

"Ella's Peyt's daughter." Stated Brooke. Then her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. She stepped back quickly and started to walk away from Lucas quickly, uttering the word 'toilet' as an excuse as to her quick departure.

In her mad rush to get to the restroom Brooke caught a glimpse of Peyton talking to, who appeared to be, Lucas' girlfriend Lindsay. She was confused for a moment, before remembering that Peyton hadn't met Lindsey before. Then she was in TRIC's ladies room. Its cool colors and clean white floor providing the relaxing effect that Brooke had been searching for. She sighed and set her purse down beside the sink and checked her appearance.

**3: LINDSEY **

"Lindsey. My name is Lindsey. Lucas loves _me_. Lucas is not still in love with Peyton." Lindsey repeated this statement under her breath as she went about the task of mixing cookie dough, her movement rhythmic, as the words slipped from her mouth. Just when she had finally forgotten the events of that evening the phone let out a sharp trill, startling Lindsey and causing her to jump slightly.

She sighed and picked up the phone, clicking the talk button and lifting the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" she said calmly.

"Hi, Lindsey? It's Brooke; tell Lucas he needs to come to the hospital. There's been…"

**Earlier that Evening:**

In all truth, Lindsey was exceptionally nervous about meeting Peyton Sawyer. That was the truth behind her reluctance to leave the house with Lucas. And now she was sitting alone in a club watching him walk across the dance floor to none other than Brooke Davis.

She sighed and took a sip out of her drink, enjoying the feel of the liquid running down her throat.

"You're boyfriend's off chasing some girl?" the voice sounded slightly theatrical in the setting.

"How'd you guess?" Replied Lindsey, finishing off the rest of her drink.

"I can just tell," said the girl as she sat down on the chair. She had blonde hair that spun itself in loose curls that reached just below her shoulders.

Lindsey smiled, turning her chair on a diagonal to make it easier on her neck while she talked to the other woman.

A few minutes in, the conversation morphed into one that focused on the type of work the other professed.

"So, what kind of work do you do?"

"I'm an editor," said Lindsey, taking another sip out of her drink.

"Huh. I'm not really that vigorous of a reader, but I do know my way around a few classics. And of course a few favorites," supplied the blonde woman, smiling as she turned her chair so she was facing Lindsey. "You know anything about Lucas Scott's An Unkindness of Ravens?"

"Yes! Actually," exclaimed Lindsey, "I was his editor while he was writing it! What's your connection with it?"

"I'm Peyton Sawyer," replied the other woman, who had now been identified as the one person that Lindsey had been waiting to meet for the last few years. The heroine of her boyfriend's book. As Lindsey was so excited by this new information, she was unaware of two things that were happening around her.

The first was that Peyton's voice had become less friendly. The second was that Lucas was coming up beside her.

"Hey, Lindsey. Peyton." He addressed both of them with a slight touch of dread. Lindsey snapped back into full awareness and turned, ready to meet the gaze of her adoring boyfriend to find that he was instead staring at _Peyton Sawyer._

"Hi Luke," Lindsey was slightly relieved to hear that Peyton's voice lacked any friendliness.

"Hey baby," Lucas then focused on Lindsey, kissing her on the cheek (not lips) and stepping closer to her.

Lindsey smiled up at him. "Hey Lucas."

"So, you two dating?" Peyton asked.

Lindsey nodded. The obvious answer. Though somehow it was to difficult to utter the words, thus… the nod.

Peyton got up off the chair and turned to leave. Lindsey felt Lucas shift as if to follow. She wasn't keen on the idea of her boyfriend chasing after another girl, let alone his high school sweetheart who he had written an entire book about, but she didn't reach out to try and stop him from leaving either.

So Lindsey watched her boyfriend go after Peyton Sawyer. Following him with her eyes and hoping that he would change his mind, turn around, come back towards her and leave Peyton behind. Instead he continued on, and Lindsey was left watching Lucas' retreating form as he pursued Peyton Sawyer.

**-End Flashback-**


	4. Chapter 4

Bright yellow, unrelenting headlights boring down with terrifying speed; a moment when times seems to slow down, looking back on it Peyton would have said that time hadn't slowed down, necessarily, rather that her senses had been heightened. Perhaps it was because her focus had been narrowed down much more than usual, or maybe it was the fact that she thought she was going to die that made her brain spin wildly through all the things that had happened in her life up to this point.

She remembered Jenny and Jake, Brooke, long fights, the pain of realizing Lucas had found someone else. Those memories flitted by quickly until she started to remember Ella and everything that had happened since Ella was born. She remembered the toll it had taken on her heart when she realized Lucas was not there and would not be coming. She remembered the grief and guilt she had been drowning in until she was forced to accept Ella, and the vow that she would never leave her alone again.

And now she had finally come back to Tree Hill only to find he had found someone else to replace her. And now she was just going to give up? She was just going to let everything that had happened, everything she had fought for, go to waste? Ella's face appeared once again in Peyton's mind, and Peyton vowed that if she lived (which she was determined to do) she would tell Lucas the truth about Ella.

Though not usually one for religion, Peyton found herself with the plea of life sliding desperately off her tongue, then her car hit the oncoming vehicle and everything went black.

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Lucas was woken by frantic shaking. He sat up and looked around groggily. He could see the vague outline of a familiar face as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried to hold on the dream he had been having just long enough to remember what it was about.

"Lucas! Lucas! Are you listening to me?!"

The urgency in Lindsey's voice snapped Lucas out of his reverie. "What is it?"

"It's your mom," Lindsey placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "She's been in an accident."

Lucas shot out of bed, fully awake. He grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head, the wheels in his mind spinning frantically. He stood up, pulling pants on over his boxers and rummaging through his dresser for a pair of socks.

"I'll get the car ready," Lindsay's voice was calm. She knew that she had to keep her head in this situation, as Lucas wouldn't be able to. She ducked out the door, car keys in hand, and headed towards their car.

Lucas finished getting dressed as he followed Lindsay out the door, not bothering to tie up his shoes in his frantic rush. He watched as Lindsay as she started for the driver's side of the car, then as she changed her mind and walked around to the passenger side. Lucas would have found this endearing at any other time, but now his mind was completely fixated on thoughts for his mother and wondering how badly she was hurt.

Later, both Lindsay and Lucas would wish that Lindsay had stuck with the driver's seat.

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Peyton lay still, searing pain pumping through her veins. She tried opening her eyes, but the bright images that danced and twirled before her were overwhelming. She snapped her eyes shut again and waited for the pain to disappear.

Peyton wasn't aware of the fact that she had dozed off until she woke again, this time with loud voices booming around her; inflicting pain on another part of her brain. She choose not to open her eyes, instead she tried to let herself fall back into a less pained state. This time she found it slightly harder to doze off.

Little snippets of conversation were wheedling their way into her sub-conscious, making her thoughts before falling asleep a confused mix of fear and confusion.

'_She's got a pretty good chance of surviving... But who knows how long it'll take for her to get better.'_

'_She probably won't survive the night...'_

'_Her poor family... Did anyone contact them yet?'_

'_He's in fine condition. Got off pretty easy if you ask me... Looks like he wasn't driving very responsibly.'_

'_The one has her daughter and best friend here. Her daughter doesn't look very old. I hope she can pull through it..."_

'_Peyton, can you hear me?'_

'_Mommy?'_

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Lucas was driving too fast and he knew it. Lindsay was sitting quietly beside him, a mask of fear painted over her face. The numbers on the speed dial were climbing, and Lucas still had his foot pressed firmly against the pedal.

'_Shouldn't we slow down?'_ Lindsay's question bounced around the inside of her head in a demented and fruitless search for an escape. The pitch-black night closed in around the car, pierced only by the thin beams of the car's headlights which glistened like diamonds on the wet road.

Lindsay closed her eyes, eager to block out the images of the trees and bushes whizzing past, their forms turning into a greenish-grey blur. For a few minutes Lindsay pretended t hat she was at home, resting peacefully on the couch, until the screeching of tires pulled her back from her daydream. She opened her eyes only to be greeted with a bright and malicious yellow light that burned into her retinas.

She shut her eyes and waited for the impact. When it came, I shoved the front of the car in on itself and shattered the windows.

Lindsay's mind went blank about the same time Peyton's did.

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**A/N: So, the different people's stories take place at different times. Peyton is after and at the crash, Lindsay and Lucas are before and at the car crash. If you don't understand... I really don't know how to explain it. OK, so we know that Peyton crashed into Lucas and Lindsay. I'll probably fill in the gaps next chapter. **

**Merry Christmas!!**

**Thanks to my Beta, emotionalxchamp. Without you, I'd be nadda. **

**I think I'll be updating this more frequently. I have inspiration and I don't think it'll be many more chapters.**

**Please review!**


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